Darkness approaches
by Gothic984
Summary: Lucas has taken vacation time for Caleb's upcoming birthday; however, his hopes of a relaxing time off does not go to plan.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own any American Gothic characters, this is a work of fan fiction. This story is a continuation of my previous stories and follows on from Good Girl.

It was a pleasant sunny morning in Trinity South Carolina. A warm breeze blew through the trees, causing the leaves to rustle peacefully and there had been no sudden storms for close to a week.

Selena Coombs did her best to saunter down the quiet street, whilst attempting to hide her limp. She was still partly damaged due to being hit by her ex lovers truck and although her arm had healed nicely, her aching leg was a constant reminder of what had transpired.

It had been almost a week since she had been released from Jail for the attempted murder of Christie and she had been trying to lay low, in an attempt to re-evaluate her priorities in life. She had come to the realisation that she was not actually alone and she had an unlikely ally over the past few years that she had completely disregarded. It was strange for Selena to come to terms with such a thing, she had been used to a certain way of life for so long where her orders were taken from a man. She had been warned previously to change her ways and had not listened ; however, she had gained some clarity due to recent events and she was ready for a change.

Selena walked down the street past the large wall protecting the side of the property, then turned left towards the front entrance. She stopped outside the thick black gates protecting the front of the property and stared at the large black dog laying down on the step in front of the front door.

Gideon raised his head slightly, to indicate he was aware of her presence and began to growl. This person had no right being here and he was ready to do whatever was necessary to protect his Master, regardless of who may be watching.

Selena recognised the dog as one that used to appear on occasion next to Gail and took a deep breath to calm the feeling of uncertainty in her stomach, then opened the gate carefully and slowly started mounting the steps. This was only a dog and Lucas would not let anything tarnish his reputation of late; therefore, she was confident it was just there for show.

Gideon sat up from his laying position when she moved closer and his growls became louder. His eyes bore into her hungrily and he was ready to pounce at any given moment.

Selena stared at the dog cautiously and held her ground, she needed to do this and her intended target had remained locked away since the incident of the previous week; therefore, she had no other choice but to see this course of action through. Suddenly the large black door to the house opened and Gail knelt down next to the dog, wearing a thin peach vest and a short pair of pink cotton shorts. She held Luke securely in one arm, while she stroked the dog reassuringly with the other. Selena hated how content her nemesis looked holding her baby and had to shake of her feeling of resentment, remembering she had come here for a reason.

Gail had sensed the change in Gideon instantly and had used the excuse of taking Luke for some fresh air to establish what was going on. When she saw Selena before her, she let out a small laugh and sat down on the step next to Gideon then began stroking him. 'Did this nasty woman frighten you?' she asked Gideon playfully, when he rested his head comfortably on the top of her leg and nuzzled his nose into her.

Selena regarded Gail venomously for a moment, as her nemesis' long brown hair blew lightly in the breeze. The woman had a natural beauty that appeared effortless, even when she had been caught off guard in the morning and it was hard not to resent her for everything she had taken. Selena took a deep breath and shook of the jealous thoughts, then took a few steps closer now that the dog had been tamed.

'That ain't the one that needs tamin'' Lucas advised unimpressed, as he came to the door wearing only a short pair of boxer shorts. 'What are you doin' on my property Teacher?'

'I need to talk...' Selena started, then stopped at the sight of his warning gaze.

'I'm with my family, somethin' you have no concept of and never will...We'll talk another time Miss Coombs' Lucas stated and signalled for her to leave.

Gail watched the exchange closely, curious at the loathing her husband had garnered for his ex. When Selena shifted uncomfortable on the spot at Lucas' dominating presence, she stood up and leaned back into her husband. 'I don't believe the conversation she wants requires you sweetheart' she said sweetly and allowed him to wrap his arms around her possessively.

Lucas glanced down at Gail and nuzzled his nose into her neck. 'It's my vacation time and you ain't gettin' involved in anything other than what takes place in this house' he stated sternly, then kissed her shoulder tenderly.

Gail turned her head to meet his eyes 'Since when do you control me husband?' she asked seriously, then reached up with her free hand and pulled his head to hers for a passionate kiss.

'Since I can't trust you to play nice wife' Lucas advised sarcastically, when he broke free from the embrace and stood his ground.

Gail let out a small sigh and rolled her eyes. 'It appears I'm not allowed to play today Miss Coombs' she mocked, taking pleasure in Selena's hatred of their affection for each other. 'When Daddy leaves, I'm sure we can try this again'

Selena shook her head at the display, then watched as Gail was dragged inside abruptly and the door closed in her face. She stared down at Gideon with irritation, then hurried off the property when he began to stalk towards her with his hackles up.

'That was uncalled for' Gail said, as she placed Luke in his crip in the Study and began walking towards the kitchen.

'Daddy?' Lucas asked, still in disbelief at the comment.

'Well you're old enough to be mine, aren't you old man?' she smiled, then wrapped her legs around him when he picked her up and slammed her against the wall.

'Maybe if you stop actin' like a child I'd be able to stop insertin' my dominance' he mocked as he held securely against the wall.

'And maybe if you stopped covering up my actions I'd stop feeling like a child with an over protective parent' she stated, careful to keep her rage under control.

Lucas had been avoiding the subject of her actions of late, so not to overshadow Caleb's birthday which was nearly upon them. He really wanted to delve into her dark urges; however, his son was more important right now and he was determined to ensure everything ran smoothly. 'It ain't the time for this conversation love, we have a birthday to plan' he advised sternly, whilst stroking her cheek.

'Just because Lucas Buck took vacation time doesn't mean the way of the world stops...Just tell me what you did with the body, then I can get back to my Step Motherly duties and all my focus can be on our eldest' she feigned innocence and ran her lips over his seductively.

Lucas knew better than to trust this innocent act of hers, she had fooled him once by lulling him into a false sense of security and he would not be played again. This obsession with Christie was consuming her and although he understood her need to ensure that a certain task had been completed, if Gail was allowed to fatally eliminate her oldest friend the action would devour her soul and he was fond of her exactly how she was right now.

'Just fond? Wow, you really know how to make a girl feel special' she mocked, reading his mind.

'What do you want from me Gail?' he asked, beginning to get agitated. 'This is all new to me too and I'm really tryin' hard here'

'Just tell me what you did with her and I'll go right back to being the Gail you fell for...I won't even make you elaborate on your true feelings for me, it'll be our little secret' she whispered, then sucked his bottom lip teasingly.

'Say it' he ordered, liking the sound of the words on her lips more than he ever thought he would.

Gail gazed deep into his eyes, then stroked her fingers through his caramel blonde hair softly. 'I love you' she whispered and smiled when he brought his lips down to hers. This was too easy, who knew that all she had to do was destroy her own barriers and voice her true feelings to convince him to her will.

Lucas sensed her smugness and laughed when their lips parted. 'If you think that's all it takes Darlin', you're in for a rude awakenin'. Now, come on...we've got some time before Caleb's awake and I plan on using it wisely' He smiled seductively, as he carried her into the kitchen playfully and lay her down on the kitchen table.

* * *

Merlyn stroked Matt's soft blonde hair as he lay peacefully on her chest, tired from the activities they had just finished. She had awoken before him and had wanted to give him something unexpected to wake up to; therefore, she had decided to pleasure him with her mouth and was surprised at the reaction she had gotten.

Matt had awoken as soon as her mouth closed on his manhood and although he was still tired from the previous nights activities, he was more than willing to take her again and again. Her stamina was amazing for someone so inexperienced and her desire was nearly insatiable, he was finding it hard to keep up with her after his long shifts in the hospital; however, he was determined not to disappoint her.

When the alarm rang, they both let out an exhausted moan and laughed at each others reaction. 'Do you really have to go?' Merlyn asked sadly, wanting him to stay here with her for a little longer.

Matt let out an irritated breath, this is the first time in a long time that he wanted to call in work sick; however, he had patients to attend to and he could shirk his responsibilities so easily. 'I'd love nothing more than to stay here with you all day, but I wouldn't be the man you knew if I did' he sighed, then placed a long passionate kiss on her lips and slowly got out of the bed.

Merlyn let out an exasperated sigh and pulled the covers up over her naked breasts. She knew he was right and she would never expect him to give up his responsibilities for her. 'Alright, you be sure not to stay too late today and I may just stop by at some point for an unexpected visit' she teased and smiled when he shot her a longing look.

'What are your plans for today?' he asked, trying to take his mind off her toned body under the thin bed sheet, just inches away from where he stood.

Merlyn sensed his desire for her and kicked the sheet off, then leaned casually against the wooden headboard to show him what he was missing. 'With Christie gone, Gail's Editor Mark wants to talk to me about where I see my career goin'' she advised sweetly, then bit her lip playfully when he could not take his eyes off of her.

'M that's great. You didn't mention that last night' he smiled, trying desperately to control his urges.

'Well you didn't give me much of a chance to talk when you got back after your shift' she laughed, then reached out for his hand and nipped at his fingers playfully.

Matt shook his head at his lack of willpower, then picked her up into his arms and carried her towards the bathroom. 'How did I get by without you?' he asked in awe of her, then kissed her lips softly.

Merlyn savoured the taste of his tongue in her mouth, then stroked her thumb gently over his lips. 'You lived a very borin' life Doctor, but that's all about to change' she smiled and looked forward to continuing their fun in the shower.

* * *

Caleb sat on a secluded bench under a tree on the field behind his school playground, eating a turkey sandwich and reading Stephen King's The Stand. After all the strangeness that had been going on in his life recently, Caleb had decided that he wanted to get back to basics and had started enjoying the quiet time by himself that he had previously been fond of.

It had been different since Gail and Lucas got married and Caleb was not sure whether he liked the change. Not only had his cousin's mood of late been very questionable, random children were attempting to be his friend because he was now officially family to the Sheriff of Trinity. At first the change in children and adults amused him; however, now he did not know whether people were being genuinely nice to him or just acting false to get on Lucas' side.

Caleb wanted no part of falseness, he had enough going on in his life than to have to perform for people he did not know; therefore, he had started to keep to himself and get back into his reading, life was easier when he switched off from the world around him.

A strange feeling in his stomach caught his attention and Caleb pushed the feeling away automatically, he then felt his darkness attempting to rise within him and he concentrated hard to keep it locked up. He did not know what had caused the sudden reaction; however, he just wanted to be left in peace to read his book and he was not entertaining anything to do with that part of himself for the time being.

'What are you doin' all the way over here away from your friends' Poppy Bowen asked curiously, as she peered through the school railings.

Caleb's heart skipped a beat for a moment when he heard her sweet southern accent, then he turned around excitedly and smiled when he saw her beautiful face. 'Hey! What are you doin' here?' he asked, as he put his sandwich and book down to approach her.

'I was just goin' for a stroll on my lunch break, Abe's tryin' to be more involved in the Store again so he's given me an extra hour.' she shrugged, 'I thought I might catch you out here with it being lunch time, I've not seen you in forever'

Caleb's grin grew wider when he realised she was here for him and his darkness began to rise again. 'Wanna go somewhere?' he asked, without thinking of the possible consequences.

Poppy thought for a moment, then narrowed her eyes at him. 'I don't wanna get in trouble for you missin' school, your cousin is off with me as it is these days'

Caleb laughed and waved off her concern. 'Gail's probably busy and she's not like she used to be. Besides, she's my Step Mom now and my Daddy has my back'

Poppy eyes grew wide. 'Lucas Buck's your Daddy?'

'He is now I guess' Caleb shrugged not going into details, then carefully climbed over the railing and left his lunch with his book on the bench, as he strolled away with Poppy.

-To be continued-


	2. Chapter 2

Gail stood outside the Florist opposite her work place and forced a warm smile for the passers by. Lucas had been on her like glue since he had booked his vacation time and he had been refusing to trust her out on her own; therefore, he stood right beside her admiring the flowers whilst holding Luke against his chest carefully, like the picture perfect Father.

She considered how much Lucas must be loving the affect this was having on his reputation. Not only was he feared and respected, he was now the adoring family man and his townspeople were eating this up. It was laughable really, if only all of the bored housewives knew what he really got up behind closed doors. If they caught wind of what they both did together when no-one was watching, it would make their toes curl. The thought of that made her smile to herself and she felt his hand gently stroke her back.

'Did I miss the joke?' Lucas asked curiously.

'You're living it' Gail forced a sweet smile, to hide her irritation at the current state of her life.

'Now what do we have here? The perfect family unit?' Selena asked cattily, as she approached the pair and ignored the whispers from around her.

Lucas smiled mischievously, this was just perfect. 'You bet it is Darlin', do me a favour and hold him would you?' Lucas asked and thrust Luke at Selena, without waiting for her answer.

Selena instinctively took the baby carefully and watched as Lucas wrapped his arms around Gail, then began kissing her passionately. She initially laughed at the pathetic display, then started to feel uncomfortable when their embrace continued and several people passed them whispering how perfect this couple were.

When their lips parted, a few people close by came to offer congratulations on their marriage and Selena was left holding the baby. She stared down at the child that should have been hers with hatred in her eyes, then her look turned to sadness when he gazed up at her curiously with innocent eyes and she realised she did not want to let him go.

Selena went to start walking away with Luke, when Lucas cleared his throat knowingly. She turned towards her ex lover and saw the cruel amusement in his eyes when he reached for his son, then snatched him gently out of her grasp.

'I'm sorry, that was a little insensitive of me given you can't have children' Lucas said loudly, feigning concern. 'It's alright though Miss Coombs, you can come babysit for us anytime you want'

Gail heard the gasp of onlookers when they heard that Selena could not have children and knew that news would be all over town in a matter of hours. She did not care about Selena; however, she did not want Luke being brought into any game Lucas was playing and the comment was uncalled for. 'That's enough' she whispered to Lucas.

'It's alright love, Miss Coombs needs to know we're here for her...Should you require any comfort now that your relationship's broken down with Doctor Billy Peele after he cheated on you and you tried to kill his lover, you just go ahead and holler' Lucas smiled mercilessly at Selena.

'Stop it!' Gail snapped and shot Lucas a look of warning.

Lucas stared down at Gail with angry eyes, he had made it clear to her that she was not to get involved in his business and this outburst was unacceptable.

'I want to discuss a deal' Selena interrupted when she sensed the animosity between the pair, although they were hiding it well.

Lucas continued to stare at Gail for a moment, inserting his dominance and then turned his attention to Selena. 'Even if there was any hope in hell that I would allow that, this ain't the place or time Teacher' he said, shooting down her request effortlessly.

'I wasn't talking to you Sheriff' Selena advised smugly, then turned towards Gail.

Gail stared from Lucas to Selena with wide eyes, then smiled triumphantly at her husband. 'You be a dear and wait for me outside the Guardian with Luke, this will only take a moment sweetheart' she ordered sweetly for passers by to hear, then placed a soft kiss on his lips and started to walk down the street with Selena.

Selena caught whispers from passers by about her lack of ability to teach children when she had recently been arrested and was about to snap at the the women, when Gail linked her arm around hers and pulled her close.

'Stick with me and all those accusations will melt away...I can do no wrong it seems these days' Gail sighed and pulled her towards a bench directly in front of her workplace.

'Well aren't you the perfect role model' Selena laughed bitterly.

'Apparently so, now what's this bull about a deal? I have no desire to be my husband, so the only other thing this could be is a ploy to use me against him and I hope for your sake that you're smarter than that' Gail advised bluntly.

Selena stared at Lucas who was watching them like a hawk and smiled cattily at him. 'He's going to kill me' she stated seriously.

As if to confirm the statement, a crow flew down out of nowhere and started pecking at Selena's head. Selena jumped up and started thrashing at the bird frantically, in an attempt to make it stop. When the crow flew away and perched on a street light she glanced at Gail, who remained unmoved by the incident, then just sat back down next to her.

Selena turned her full attention to Gail and saw no empathy on her face, her nemesis really had changed and she was not sure it was for the better. 'He's going to kill me for freeing your friend on your wedding' Selena advised, hoping that would cause a reaction.

'And I'm supposed to care about this why?' Gail laughed nonchantly.

'She was supposed to get there in time to warn you what you were getting into' Selena snapped.

'No, she was supposed to publicly ruin the wedding and give you an opening if I changed my mind...Don't try to play a player Selena' Gail said knowingly and watched Lucas carefully on the other side of the street, ensuring her mind and this conversation was shielded from him.

'What happened to your almighty honour between women? You scrapped that awful fast Mrs Buck' Selena spat out viciously.

Gail turned towards her and regarded her with no emotion. knowing this would be more effective. 'You have no honour, you have a deep routed need to be with someone and are trying desperately to fill that hole inside of you'

'Whatever hole I have is due to your husband and believe me, he wasn't complaining when he was playing with it' Selena laughed resentfully.

Gail rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh. 'Right now, he's less of a threat than I am so go on Selena, keep trying to piss me off and see what happens when I lose control' she warned.

'What I'm proposing is a deal between you and I Gail, my life may appear lost at this moment in time but I'd like to live it a little while longer' Selena tried to reason, bringing the conversation back to her initial request.

Gail turned back towards Lucas and watched as his rage became visible on his face. He was not the type of person who took lightly to being kept in the dark and she suspected there would be consequences if she agreed to this deal. Gail let out a long sigh, then stood up and stretched.

'Well?' Selena asked with urgency in her tone.

'Go back to school Selena, your lunch hour is almost over' Gail advised, then began walking back to her family.

Selena stood up, no better off than she had been before she had approached the pair and started walking towards her car deflated.

'Well?' Lucas asked, attempting to hide the anger from his tone when Gail got back to him.

Gail just shrugged casually and carefully took Luke from Lucas' arms, without saying a word.

Lucas smiled and turned back towards Selena, he watched as his crow darted through the air and began pecking at her face viciously. He smiled devilishly as Selena thrashed her arms frantically and backed up into the road, in an attempt to escape. His smile faded when Gideon came from behind a car and jumped up high, then snatched the crow out of the air and closed his teeth around it's wings. He watched as Selena turned towards them and was looking straight past him.

'It's alright sweetheart' Gail said softly to Luke, as she smiled and stroked his head lovingly. 'That nasty bird has gone now and won't be hurting anybody ever again'

Lucas stared at her aggrieved, then forced a smile when Merlyn came down the Trinity Guardian buildings steps with Gail's editor Mark in an attempt to hide his irritation.

* * *

Caleb sat with Poppy on a bench by the edge of the Pier, eating fish sticks and fries. He knew there was no way he would be back for the end of lunch time bell; therefore, he was happily relaxing with his present company.

'So, you've been married into the Buck family?' Poppy smiled, as she stole one of his fries.

Caleb laughed and shrugged. 'Gail adopted me, she's like my new Mom I suppose and that makes Lucas my Daddy' he lied, knowing better than to give the true history of his lineage.

Poppy nodded and stared down the Pier at the people passing them by, in their own little world. 'It must be nice to have people' to be your family' she said sadly, remembering her Mother and Father.

'Can't you go see your Daddy?' Caleb asked, not liking the change in her mood.

Poppy gave a deflated laugh and shook her head. 'I don't think that's a good idea...he killed my Mom'

'I hear it was an accident' Merlyn said as she approached the pair with Gail and Lucas following close behind, pushing Luke in his buggy.

'I hear there are a lot of accident's' Gail said disapprovingly and shot Lucas a suspicious glance, then rolled her eyes when he just shrugged.

'What are you doin' here?' Caleb asked, disappointed his alone time with Poppy had been spoiled.

'Gail's treatin' me to lunch after my big meetin' at the Guardian' Merlyn smiled, then sat down in the middle of Caleb and Poppy.

'What are you doing here? School lunch time was over 10 minutes ago' Gail asked unimpressed at seeing him here, especially with Poppy who had been warned to stay away from him.

'Give the kids a break love, it's almost the summer holidays and it's too damn hot to be sittin' about in a classroom' Lucas answered for Caleb, then shot him a knowing wink.

Caleb smiled at Lucas, then his smile faded when he caught Gail's irritated look. 'It's nice to see you out in the sun cous', you're usually copped up all day. Where are y'all goin'?'

Gail let out a long sigh and stared at her jailer. 'Well, I would've loved to take our little star out for a girly lunch to celebrate the outcome of her meeting, but it appears I'm destined to be surrounded by my boys' she said and tried to control her frustration when Lucas placed his arm over her shoulder, then pulled her closer to him.

'What outcome? Oh I would love someone to take me for a girly lunch, you're so lucky' Poppy said jealously and gave Merlyn a friendly smile.

Lucas sensed where this was going and was about to comment, when Gail jumped in before him.

'You know what? Why don't us three girls leave these three boys to it and go pamper ourselves? I'm sure you don't mind looking after your boys do you sweetheart?' Gail smiled smugly.

Lucas shook his head at her beating him to the post and caught Caleb's displeasure at the suggestion.

'Oh please Sheriff, I've never been pampered before' Poppy begged and smiled sweetly at him.

'Yeah please Sheriff, we don't have a Mom to treat us to these things and we're so lonely' Merlyn chimed in, feigning innocence.

Gail glanced at both girls and smiled proudly, they certainly were not stupid and clearly knew already how to use their gifts. 'You're not going to crush the hopes of these two beautiful young abandoned ladies are you?' she asked sweetly, as she pressed closer up against Lucas and discreetly ran her hands down his chest to his crotch, then squeezed gently.

'Lucas...' Caleb started, then felt his darkness pull him back knowing they had been beat.

Lucas wrapped his arms around Gail and pulled her to him tight, before kissing her passionately. He moved his lips to her ear and kissed it gently, then bit down on it roughly. 'Nicely played Mrs Buck, the game is on' he whispered, then stared at her playfully.

Gail smiled back at him and licked her lips teasingly. 'Until tonight Master Buck' she whispered, as she pulled free of his grasp then placed a soft kiss on Luke's and Caleb's cheek before walking down the Pier with the girls.

'What was that?' Caleb asked irritated.

'The way of a woman son...just the way of the world' Lucas sighed, then turned back towards his car and signalled for Caleb to follow him .

-To be continued-


	3. Chapter 3

Billy Peel sat in the small hospital bed, reading a book on fulfilling ones true potential that had Gail bought for him. The only plus side of the freak animal attack that he had survived was that it appeared to have strengthened his bond with his old friend and they had finally seemed to put their disagreements behind them.

This past week had been hard, recovering from the multiple injuries he had sustained has not been easy; however, Gail had visited him regularly, accompanied by Lucas who appeared to be watching her every move and she always called before he went to sleep to reassure him that he was not alone. After everything that had happened with Selena and Christie he had decided to focus on himself going forward, now he just had to get checked out of this hospital as it was making him go stir crazy.

'Sit back down' Lucas ordered, as he came in to Billy attempting to get out of bed. 'Doc' Crower said you're to rest and you've got a way to go before you're fully healed.

'I hate it here man, I need to get out' Billy said, looking past Lucas and expecting to see Gail. When Caleb strolled in pushing Luke's buggy, Billy shot Lucas a concerned look.

'Calm down friend' Lucas said soothingly, as he began to pace the room. 'She's out having a girls lunch somewhere, she's not abandoned you'

'So you decided to loosen the leash?' Billy joked.

Lucas laughed and shook his head. 'She catches you making that comment and there'll be all kinds of hell to pay'

'How are you doin?' Caleb asked concerned. He had not been allowed to visit Billy due to the severity of his wounds and now that he saw the bandages all over his body, he began to get curious as to what had happened.

'I'm fine Champ, just a little beaten up. I'd love some official to pull his weight and get me checked out of this prison though, any chance of that happening?' he asked Lucas hopefully.

Lucas had been surprisingly protective of Billy after the incident of the previous week. Billy had been an unwarranted victim of Gail's game, he felt some kind of loyalty to this man these days and was happy to see Gail had taken the time to ensure he was alright, indicating her softer side was still present. 'I don't think it'd be the best option for me to pull rank and bust you out friend' Lucas shrugged.

'Actually it wouldn't be a bad idea providing he had somewhere to go where he could be looked after' Matt advised, as he walked into the room and bent down greet Luke in his buggy.

Lucas watched as Matt took Luke's hand and his boy laughed playfully. He had sensed as soon as Matt had popped that little cherry of Merlyn's and it appeared she had loosened Harvard up, allowing the man to enjoy the finer things in life. 'Well Doc' haven't you got a mighty fine spring in your step, care to spill your secret?' he asked sarcastically.

Matt stood up and regarded Lucas pleasantly. 'Just good living Sheriff, I suggest you try it sometime'

'Oh I'd love to get my teeth into your good livin', but I have something a little more exotic to sink my teeth into these days' Lucas mocked.

Matt sensed the undertone of the comment and pushed his emotions down. He did not need to lose control in front of Caleb and Luke; therefore, he took a deep breath and forced a polite smile.

Billy had no idea what they were taking about; however, he sensed the tension in the room and wanted no part of it. 'Are you suggesting I can leave?' Billy asked, hopeful.

Matt glared at Lucas for a moment, then turned his full attention to Billy. 'I'm saying that providing you have a care giver, then I can discharge you to somewhere more comfortable to allow you to fully heal' he advised.

Lucas smiled mischievously and patted Matt on the back, if Gail wanted to play then he was game. 'You draw up whatever papers you need to get my friend outta here Harvard and I'll make sure he's well taken care of' he laughed devilishly, then winked at Billy playfully.

* * *

Gail pulled her Mustang into the driveway of the Buck Mansion, then exited the car with Merlyn and Poppy. They had all enjoyed a nice healthy lunch and relaxing afternoon at the Salon, now it was time to progress with Caleb's birthday plans and both girls had offered to assist her.

When she opened the door and ushered the girls in, Poppy stared about the lobby in awe. Gail smiled at the innocence of the girl and signalled for Merlyn to follow her into the Study. 'So, now that I've got you alone. How does everything feel?' Gail asked curiously.

'I feel great, Mark wants me to come on officially as a trainee and continue writing articles. He said it can be an official apprenticeship and he'll find me a desk by your office' Merlyn said excitedly.

'Oh that goes without saying and you can share my office, it's not a problem' she waved the news off uninterested. 'I'm talking about Matt, everything still going where it should?' she asked, not knowing why she had a childish grin on her face.

Merlyn smiled at her cousins interest in her personal life, it was good to have someone to talk to about these things and she had not wanted to allow Poppy to get involved in this for some reason that she could not yet comprehend. 'Everthin' is goin' exactly where it should and it's all amazing. Now I know why you...'

'Can't get enough?' Lucas interrupted amused, as he swept Gail off of her feet and buried his head into her neck. 'It'll only get better with experience Missy and you have all of that to look forward to'

Gail slapped Lucas playfully across the cheek and forced him to put her down. 'Ignore him, he's so sure of his own ability that he wouldn't know what to do if there was ever a problem'

'That's 'cause there never will be love' He smiled confidently, then kissed her passionately.

'Is this what I have to contend with?' Billy asked, from his position on the couch.

Gail pulled free from their embrace, then went around the couch and stared confused at Billy laying with a blanket over his legs. 'Have I missed something? What are you doing out of hospital?' she asked concerned.

Before Billy could answer, Lucas placed his hands on her shoulders firmly and came up behind her. 'I knew how bad you felt about the freak animal attack that our friend was involved in and when Missy's boyfriend informed me that our Billy-boy here could be discharged with the promise of a carer, I thought who better to step up than his new old friend' he smiled smugly.

Gail looked up at Lucas in disbelief, she was so angry that she could not even speak and she felt her rage clawing to be released.

'It's alright soulmate' he whispered soothingly in her ear, 'You instigated this with your mutt, which makes it your responsibility to fix...it's the least you can do to clean up your own mess'

Gail inhaled deeply and attempted to push down her rage, she felt all eyes in the room on her and did not want to react to Lucas' play. She smiled sweetly at Billy, then walked around the couch to Lucas' favourite grandfather chair. 'Of course I'm happy to help, I wouldn't have it any other way' she lied, then sat casually on the arm of the chair.

Lucas smiled triumphantly, knowing she would not be able to leave unexpectedly with Billy being here now and nodded towards his friend. 'See, I told you everythin' would be fin...' he started.

'I just need to do one little thing before I fully commit to this' Gail interrupted him and winked at Billy playfully.

Lucas watched as she picked up the telephone on the small table next to his chair and began dialling. 'What are you doin'?' he asked suspiciously, not knowing where she was going with this.

Gail held up a finger to silence him and stared at Lucas defiantly as the telephone on the other end was picked up. 'Hi, it's me...You have yourself a Deal' she confirmed while staring directly at her husband, then hung up the telephone and returned to Merlyn.

Lucas inhaled deeply to hide his fury at the fact that she had just accepted a deal with Selena and pushed his twin deep down, ensuring he did not react in from of their present company. If Gail truly wanted to go against his wishes, he would ensure someone she cared for paid the price and he smiled when his thoughts settled on the pretty young thing his wife was so fond of.

* * *

Matt stroked Lucy's cheek affectionately and she appeared content eating her food in her high chair, then continued to light candles around the place. He had expected M to be home by now to discuss the outcome of her meeting; however, he was happy for the spare time to be able to surprise her with a candle lit dinner.

He could not believe his life had taken such a good turn. Two years ago he was trapped in Juniper House, all because he wanted to follow to truth and get justice for those who had been wronged. So much had happened since he managed to escape that place and now he was here, with his own little family.

Matt tried to push away the thought of Lucas Buck being part of the reason why he had this perfect life and focused on Gail. His friend had sacrificed a lot for all of them and he held onto the believe that she must have found some good in that man to be able to live with the choices she had made.

The sound of the front door opening brought him out of his thoughts and he quickly opened a bottle of white wine, then poured her a glass and placed it opposite the glass of soda water on the table. He waited patiently M to make her way to him, then his mouth dropped when he saw she had brought company.

'Wow' Poppy Bowen smiled in amazement at all the candles around place. 'You must be tryin' to surprise a really lucky lady'

Merlyn looked around with wide eyes and felt a strong wave of shame come over her. They had been allowed to drink wine while assisting with the birthday plans and the fact that Matt may have planned something for her had completely slipped her mind. Suddenly she felt something dark and intrusive come over her, causing her demeanour to change. 'I'm sorry...We didn't mean to intrude on the plans for your guest' Merlyn said in a tone unlike her own and could not look him in the eyes.

Matt stared at her confused for a moment, then shook his head when he realised that she did not want Poppy knowing about them and forced a smile. 'Well it looks like my guest has stood me up' he said with disappointment in his tone. 'There's two plates in the oven, you nice girls have them...I'm taking Lucy upstairs'

Merlyn watched as Matt carefully lifted up Lucy with her plate of food, then stormed out of the kitchen. She was annoyed at herself for the sudden need to hide her relationship with him and she did not know why she had behaved in such a way.

Poppy grabbed a towel and got the plates out of the oven, then placed them on the table. She found a spare wine glass and filled it to the brim, then held it up expectantly for a toast. 'Well, you snooze you lose' she smiled and signalled for her friend to join her at the table.

* * *

Gail wandered the large Mansion holding bed linen and a pillow, attempting to find a spare room for Billy to occupy. She had not reacted to the situation Lucas had put her in while the girls were here; however, when it was time for them to leave, her rage began building within her and she needed to get away from all the boys.

She was not a carer she had enough to deal with having a baby boy and an adolescent, not to mention their overly demanding Father. This was obviously some sort of punishment for her actions towards Christie, or some control tactic to keep her right where Lucas wanted her; however, she would not let him win and she would find a way to get him back if it killed her.

'That may be a little over dramatic don't you think?' Lucas asked amused, as he stood casually leaning against a door behind her.

Gail turned around, unimpressed at his appearance and forced a smile. 'Get out of my head love' she ordered calmly, then went to turn back around to the direction she was initially heading.

Lucas tapped lightly on the door he was leaning against and whistled, then smiled smugly when he saw the look of irritation on her face. 'You might wanna follow the owner of this house before wasting any more of your time' he advised calmly and opened the door.

Gail inhaled deeply to control her rage, then walked towards him and peered through the door to find a set of stairs. She marched up the stairs, still unimpressed at this display and opened the door at the top to reveal a large bedroom.

Lucas watched amused as she threw the linen down on the large bed moodily and ran her hand through her hair in exasperation. He knew how annoyed she was at his actions of committing her to be Billy's carer; however, he was more angry that she had made a deal with Selena and that he had to punish someone she card for because of it. This was his town and only he had the authority to act in such a way. Deals were made with him and only him, he could not stand by while she blatantly disregarded the rules.

'You sound like a possessive child, sour over someone taking their toy...Grow up' she scolded, then began to inspect the room curiously.

Lucas laughed in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair. 'You did this to get back at me and I'm the childish one? You can't even stand the woman'

'And neither can you these days, that makes the alliance with her just about bearable' Gail smiled defiantly, then opened a large window to let some fresh air into the room and leaned out to admire the view.

Lucas came up behind her and began unzipping her long skirt. When Gail stood up to push him away, Lucas forced her back out of the window, pulled her skirt down and ripped her panties off roughly. 'You think you get to openly defy me without gettin' punished Gail?' he asked smoothly, as he unzipped his pants and stroked his hard manhood over her behind.

'Don't you dare even think about it Lucas' she ordered seriously. 'I'm telling you categorically no!'

Lucas laughed and shook his head, Judith had tried telling him no in the beginning and it just made the chase all the more enjoyable. There would be no chase here, he needed to show her who was boss before this behaviour of hers got out of hand and there was nothing she could say to dissuade him.

Gail sensed his need to insert his dominance and was about to release her darkness when he thrust his hard manhood into the place she had banned him from going, causing her to call out in pain. She was not ready for his unexpected entry and gripped the window ledge tight with the force he was using.

Lucas had wanted to hurt her, to prove that he could get to her whenever he wanted if he so desired. She may be undergoing a change; however, she was not strong enough to take him head on yet and by inserting his dominance now, it prevented her allowing her ambition to take her to a territory she should not be attempting to conquer.

When her body remained tense and he sensed her fighting to get through the pain, he slowed his movements and reached around to her sweet spot then softly kissed her shoulder. This area within her body was his, no one had been here before and regardless of how much he wanted to hurt her, it was sacred to him. As his movements became more tender, he felt her begin to relax so he started to stroke her back while he kissed her neck soflty.

Gail sensed his demeanour change and cursed her body for betraying her. She had wanted to force herself not to enjoy any part of this treatment; however, she craved all of him, including the bad and it had been a long time since they performed this questionable act.

Lucas smiled when he felt her acceptance and continued to play with her sweet spot, while his pushed in and out of her gently. Her aroused moans turned him on and he squeezed her breast hard with his free hand, then nipped at her shoulder as the bursts of pleasure flowed through him. When he sensed their climax rising together, he quickened his movements and called out her name when he came inside of her, then collapsed into her back and sucked her neck playfully.

Gail took a deep breath and let out a long aroused moan when his tongue made patterns on her neck, then leaned back into him and reached back to tangle her fingers in his hair. 'I'm not one of your whores who will accept this treatment' she stated calmly, careful to keep her rage under control. 'I'm your wife, you'll do well to remember that'

Lucas heard the warning in her tone and pulled out of her gently. 'Behave and I won't have to remind you of who I am' he shrugged, not backing down from his initial lesson and cleaned her up with a handkerchief.

Gail reached down and pulled her skirt back up, then turned towards him and regarded him defiantly. 'You feel the need to insert your dominance, that's fine but don't for one second think that I won't retaliate' she advised, then started to walk out of the room.

'Is that a threat Mrs Buck?' he asked amused.

'It's a promise Lucas' she advised seriously, then left him in the room alone.

-To be continued-


	4. Chapter 4

Matt woke up in an empty bed and experienced a strong feeling of emptiness when he reached over to M's side of the bed. He had been so angry at her clear embarrassment of their relationship that he had left her drinking with Poppy in the backyard, while he went to bed alone.

M had never displayed any hint of shame previously, in fact she had instigated this relationship and it was him that had reservations. Now he had started to doubt his willingness to be with such a young girl and cursed himself for being stupid enough to get into this situation.

Matt let out a long sigh and sat up in the bed, he glanced at Rocky staring at him sadly and shook off the look while he tried to find his robe. When he exited the bedroom the smell of bacon hit him, he walked slowly to the kitchen to find M cooking him breakfast and leaned against the doorway unimpressed.

'I wondered when you would join us' Merlyn smiled, as she poured him a cup of coffee then stroked Lucy's head as she ate her breakfast obediently in her high chair.

'Where's Poppy?' he asked trying to keep calm, not wanting to cause a scene in front of Lucy.

Merlyn sensed his anger and did not know what to do. She had not meant to hurt or upset him, the words had just come out before she had time to stop them. 'I sent her home late, I couldn't get much sleep on the couch so I thought I'd make you breakfast' she said, holding out the cup of coffee for him as a peace offering.

Matt stared at the cup and shook his head, he could see the regret in her eyes; however, he could ignore what had happened. 'I'm not hungry, you eat it' he sighed, then turned around and headed to the bathroom for a shower.

Merlyn felt tears begin to form in her eyes, as she sat down at the table next to Lucy. She had never been in this type of situation before and was at a loss as to how to make this better. She took a deep breath to try and control her emotions, then lay her head down and began to cry.

* * *

Gail was jolted awake abruptly by a sudden feeling of despair. She turned to her left to see Lucas still asleep beside her, then let out an irritated sigh when she saw his peaceful face and got out of the bed.

She walked towards Luke's crib and peered in carefully, so not to alarm him of her sudden presence and smiled when she saw he was fast asleep. The feeling still festered within her and it was making her feel anxious; therefore, she quietly left the room and headed down the corridor to check on Caleb. When she opened his door slowly, she smiled as he was wide awake reading The Stand and entered the room quietly.

Caleb looked up over his book and narrowed his eyes at Gail cautiously. 'Was I bein' loud or somethin'? he asked, not remembering making a sound.

Gail lay beside him on the bed and took the book from him to see where he was up to. 'Something's bothering me and I don't what it is. I thought it might be something with you, but I guess I waswrong'

Caleb had felt a niggling feeling within him for the past 10 minutes and had been ignoring it, he wondered if it had something to do with what was bothering Gail. 'I feel somethin' too...I don't like it' he stated honestly, as he took the book from her and snuggled into his cousin.

Gail lay with Caleb for a moment, curious that they both may be feeling the same thing and let out a long sigh. 'Well, there's only one other person in our family that I haven't checked on...fancy a road trip before school?' she asked.

'Hell yeah' Caleb smiled and took Gail's hand when she offered to help him up.

* * *

Merlyn lay on the kingsize bed, unable to stop herself from crying. Matt had left her with Lucy and Rocky was nudging her cheek with his nose out of concern; however, she could not bring herself to lift up her head. The feel of small arms wrapping themselves around her caused her to look up and she saw Caleb regarding her sadly, as he lay his head down on hers for comfort.

Gail watched by the door as they both started crying together and felt tears begin to form in her eyes. These two had not been as close as they used to be recently; however, their love for each other was strong and she could feel the sadness radiating off of them both.

'What the hell have I walked into here?' Lucas asked in disbelief when he saw Merlyn and Caleb holding each other crying, while his love looked ready to break. Although he had instigated this situation, he had not expected there to be such a strong connection between the family that would draw them all into Merlyn's misery. Had he have considered that he would may changed the object of his punishment.

Lucas placed Luke on the mat next to Lucy and wrapped his arm reassuringly around Gail's shoulders, feeling an unnatural urge to comfort her. He was not used to feeling this way and he did not like it.

Gail felt his warmth, then shrugged off his arm and glared at him coldly. 'You're not welcome here, this is my family' she snapped, feeling her darkness convert the sadness she was feeling into rage.

Lucas shot her a look of warning when he could see the rage in her eyes, then took a step back when Luke began to cry. 'We're all family here Darlin', you hear that cry from our son?'

'What I hear is the sound of entrapment' she answered bitterly.

Lucas narrowed his eyes at her, feeling the resentment radiate off of her and then turned his attention towards Caleb, who was clinging to his sister protectively. 'Come on son, you're gonna be late for school' he advised calmly, wanting to get his eldest away from this.

Caleb lifted his head and stared defiantly at Lucas, his sisters emotions were having a strange effect on him and suddenly he was not so concerned about pleasing his Father. 'I ain't goin' anywhere' he stated, then went back to hugging his sister.

'No, he's right. You need to go to school' Merlyn advised and tried to force a smile.

'He doesn't need to go anywhere...I have a few terms to discuss with his Teacher anyway, so I'll square this' Gail smiled smugly at Lucas.

Merlyn turned to Gail , who had made it very clear in the past that she did not approve of Caleb missing school and shot her a confused look. 'He can't miss school because of me, I won't allow i...' she started, then stopped when she saw something dark pass over Gail's eyes.

Lucas felt his frustration starting to rise within him. It was bad enough trying to deal with Gail on her own, with Caleb on her side it would prove all the more difficult to make her see sense. 'Alright, I guess I'll just go home with Luke then' he resigned, expecting one of them to see sense.

'You do what you want, I'm stayin' here with my sister' Caleb stated frankly, then took her by the hand and led her out of the bedroom.

Gail smiled lovingly at Luke as she moved closer and placed a soft kiss on his nose, then shot Lucas an irritated glance before turning to follow her family.

Lucas gripped her arm tight then pulled her forcefully back into him and stood over her dominantly. 'You have one hour...You deal with this, send him to school and get back to us at home, you understand?' he asked in a commanding tone.

'Yes Daddy' Gail mocked, then pulled her arm free and went to find her kin.

* * *

Lucas sat with Abe and Billy on his front porch, drinking a cool glass of lemonade with Luke laying peacefully on his chest. He had swung by for the old man after he had found out Abe had been over exerting himself by attempting to work at the Store and thought he himself could do with a bit of time with some sane people.

This was not how his vacation time was supposed to go and he was starting to feel agitated with the situation. The week had started off well and he had enjoyed having his love all to himself, often not leaving the bedroom until just before Caleb was due to return home from school; however, the visit from Selena had tapped into Gail's darkness and now she was hell bent on defying him.

Abe sensed Lucas' frustration and let out an amused laugh. 'Don't say I didn't warn you boy' he advised knowingly and took a long sip of his lemonade.

'Warn him about what?' Billy asked curiously, as he adjusted the blanket around his legs and tried to get comfortable.

'Nothin'' Lucas sighed and shot Abe a warning glance.

'That my Rosie came from a long line of proud people' Abe continued, ignoring his warning. 'She ain't ever gonna conform to your rules, you're lucky she's behaved as good as she has for this long'

'Your Rosie ain't as sweet and innocent as you'd like to believe ol' man' Lucas informed him bitterly.

'She is to me' Abe mocked, 'In fact, she reminds me of my Brenda god bless her soul'

'Your Brenda could follow simple rules, she was loyal and always had your back. That's all I expect, why is it so hard?' he asked in disbelief of the simplicity of it all.

Both Abe and Billy looked at each other, then laughed at the statement. 'My Brenda was a cougar, you rubbed her the wrong way and there was no hope for you' Abe smiled.

'Woman don't just blindly follow rules, no matter how committed they are to you Man' Billy laughed.

'Selena did' Lucas interjected hurtfully, then smiled at the angry look that came over Billy's face.

'Well she's been groomed from childhood, I haven't' Gail stated cattily, as she approached with Merlyn and went to Billy's side. 'What are you doing out of bed?'

'His carer wasn't here to look after him, so he's been able to do whatever the hell he wants' Lucas answered for him.

Gail disregarded his comment and placed her hands softly on Billy's shoulder, knowing the affect this would have on her husband. 'You should be resting...Why don't we head back to your room and I'll lie down with you, I could do with peaceful nap' she suggested sweetly, trying to hide her amusement of the look on Lucas' face.

Before Billy had a chance to answer Lucas got up and handed Luke to Abe carefully, then went to Merlyn and ran his fingers down her back tenderly. 'How are you feelin' Darlin'? That bad Doctor upset you?...I know a way to make it all better, just let Uncle Lucas take care of you' he offered seductively and squeezed her behind gently.

Merlyn's emotions were running wild and she felt a surge of pleasure flow through her at his touch. She had no idea what was going on right now; however, her cousin did not appear to be interfering and she was unsure of what she was supposed to do.

Gail inhaled deeply and kept her anger hidden, as Lucas continued to stroke Merlyn's back. She smiled mischievously then leaned down and stroked Billy's chest, laughing when he could not control his aroused moan. 'What are we waiting for? Clearly my husband has no problem with this as he's too busy chasing an inexperienced girl...This may be our one and only chance' she advised Billy, then released part of her darkness to give him a little push and smiled when he took her hand and nipped at her fingers.

Lucas shook his head slowly, using all of his control to keep his twin caged and placed his hands around Merlyn's waist. 'Don't listen to her, she was just as inexperienced when I took her...I can show you all the things you're missin' with Harvard, he ain't even scratched the surface' he whispered in Merlyn's ear teasingly.

'I guess this formula must run in the family' Gail stated then shook her head, knowing Merlyn had only had Matt, Judith had only been with Gage and she herself had only ever had one lover before Lucas. 'I may have only been with one man prior to you, but the similarity with certain women stops there...You really think anyone would be as responsive with you as me?'

Lucas smiled when her rage finally started to show itself, it was subtle and hidden well from others; however, he could see it clearly. 'I'm not sure I don't know what you're talkin' about love' Lucas feigned ignorance, 'Care to share why this girl may be connected to you?'

Gail inhaled deeply and bit her bottom lip, to stop herself from revealing something Merlyn would regret. She let go of Billy and approached Lucas, then stood tall regarding him defiantly. 'It's not too late for me to get out of this' she warned, hinting at divorce.

Lucas let go of Merlyn and approached Gail, then stared down at her dominantly. 'Try it, I dare you' he goaded and smiled when her eyes turned cold.

'Stop it!' Abe snapped, having just about enough of this unacceptable behaviour from both parties.

Gail softened instantly when she heard Abe's voice and shot him an apologetic look. She had not meant to allow this to go so far and she certainly did not want other people involved in her ongoing fight with Lucas. 'One hour on the dot husband' she advised Lucas, when she turned her attention back to him.

Lucas continued to stare at her in a aggressive manner not caring about Abe's outburst, then glanced down at his watch at her comment and relaxed when he realised she had obeyed his order. 'Thank you wife' he said calmly and inhaled deeply in an attempt to control his twin.

Gail turned towards Merlyn and signalled for her to follow her inside 'Don't be out here long' she ordered Billy, then went to Abe and placed an affectionate kiss on his cheek before carefully taking Luke and heading indoors.

'What the hell was that all about?' Billy asked, unsure of what just happened.

'Boundaries' Lucas advised, as he watched the women enter his home and chose to leave them be for now.

-To be continued-


	5. Chapter 5

Merlyn wandered the quiet corridors of the Buck Mansion, trying to decide the best way to move forward. The previous day had gone by in a haze and she had chosen to stay here with her family.

When Gail had convinced her to tell the truth about what had happened, her cousin appeared to focus the blame on Poppy rather than Merlyn herself. Gail stated Poppy was a bad influence and should not be around her or Caleb, Merlyn had attempted to talk her cousin around; however, she caught the dark glint in her eyes that she had noticed more often recently.

It had been a strange atmosphere after the initial incident of the previous morning, she sensed the tension between Gail and Lucas; however, both remained on their best behaviour and there were no more outbursts after Lucas had put his hands on her. That was a blessing as she had been so confused with everything that had gone on with Matt and she had been unable to comprehend what was happening with anything else.

She had thought her cousin would have scolded her for allowing Lucas to touch her intimately, regardless of whether his intentions were true or just part of a game like she suspected; however, Gail appeared more concerned with why she was upset and Caleb's birthday celebration, so she did not even comment on what Lucas had done.

Merlyn was relieved that the incident had been ignored, she could not handle someone else being mad at her right now. She had chosen to give Matt his space, upon the advice of her cousin and although she usually hated staying in this cursed place overnight, she had managed to sleep fairly well.

'That's because no harm will come of you here' Lucas advised reassuringly, as he approached her holding two mugs and handed her one.

'Why would you care whether I'm hurt or not?' she asked distrustfully, as she took the mug of coffee he offered and took a long sip.

Lucas laughed and shook his head in exasperation. 'What is with you women? Can't I just protect my own without an agenda?'

Merlyn looked at him in disbelief, then started laughing. 'I ain't your own and who are you kiddin'? You always have an agenda' she stated knowingly.

Lucas narrowed his eyes at her in mock scorn, then smiled. Merlyn was harmless these days and he had actually become fond of her, since she had stopped gunning for him that was. 'Like it or not Missy, we're family by marriage now and I won't stand for Doctor Romeo causing the type reaction he did yesterday, especially when it affected my immediate family so much' he warned, disregarding the fact that he had instigated this himself.

The realisation that Lucas may actually step in hit her hard and Merlyn felt nauseous. 'This was me Lucas, not him...Don't you dare get involved' she pleaded, aware that Lucas would not need much of an excuse to go after Matt.

Lucas acknowledged her concern, then sighed. 'Haven't you heard, it's my first born's birthday today and nothin' is going to detract my attention from that' he reassured and rolled his eyes when she let out a sigh of relief.

Merlyn walked side by side with Lucas down the corridor for a moment, strangely content with his company. If you told her a year ago that she would be enjoying a quiet stroll with the man who had murdered her, she would never have believed it.

'Gail knows' Lucas broke the silence, reading her thoughts.

'Gail knows what?' she asked, sensing the discomfort radiating off of him.

'About our history...all of it' he said calmly and took a sip of his coffee.

Merlyn felt a knot form in her stomach, then stopped walking and turned towards him. 'How? When?' she asked frantically, feeling her whole body tense.

Lucas let out a long sigh, he probably should have made her aware of this when he had admitted the crime to his love; however, he had truly believed Gail would have brought it up herself and it was concerning that she had not. 'She asked me about a week ago and I told her' he shrugged.

Merlyn laughed at his apparent composed state, she knew her cousin and the betrayal she would have felt when she found out Merlyn had kept this from her. 'Why the hell would you admit to that? It was my place to tell if I saw fit!'

Lucas did not like her snappy tone and regarded her seriously. 'I'm only gonna tell you this once and you're gonna drop that tone in my house' he stated with a cautious undertone. 'Me and my wife are soulmates, whatever I chose to tell her is between us and if she asks me a question outright, I am not goin' to lie...You're not old or experienced enough to understand our connection, which is why I've tolerated your insubordination previously. We were always meant to be together, our connection is unwavering and nothing will stand in the way of that. you hear?'

Merlyn sensed this conversation was a warning to keep out of whatever was coming next. He had informed her that her cousin knew about what happened as Gail had not mentioned it, that indicated it was a card to play in whatever game they were playing and he clearly did not want Merlyn to choose sides. 'I don't wanna be a part of this' she assured him, sensing his darkness beneath the surface.

Lucas nodded and smiled. 'Good, as I'd hate to have to eliminate you just as I've started to like you' he stated casually.

Merlyn sensed the threat and nodded to indicate she understood, then started to walk back towards the main area of the house on her own.

'One last thing Merlyn Ann' Lucas called from the bottom of the corridor.

Merlyn wanted to get back to her family more than anything right now; however, she turned back towards him and tried to remain unmoved by the previous threat. 'Yes Lucas?' she asked, forcing a calm tone.

'Go to him' he advised and a devilish smile came over his lips. 'Nothin' is quite as fine as a tasty young proud thing beggin' for forgiveness on her knees'

Merlyn sensed his mischief and just nodded, then rushed down the corridor towards the occupied main area of the house.

* * *

Caleb jumped out of bed at the realisation that it was his 13th birthday and rushed downstairs excitedly; however, when he saw both Gail and Merlyn sat in silence at the kitchen table his excitement soon disappeared.

'Morning' Gail said, without taking her eyes off the Trinity Guardian newspaper she was reading.

Merlyn nodded her acknowledgement of him; however, she continued to stare into her drink, oblivious to anything but her own thoughts.

Caleb narrowed his eyes at his family in irritation, it was his birthday and they did not even bother acknowledging it. Maybe they had forgotten or got the date wrong.

'You really think that's possible?' Lucas asked amused, as he reached over Caleb and held a present in front of his face. 'Happy Birthday son'

Caleb jumped at the sudden appearance of his Father and took the present excitedly.

'Happy Birthday' Gail smiled, as she went to the refrigerator and brought out a big slice of cake.

'Happy birthday little brother' Merlyn smiled lovingly, then hugged him and handed him a card.

'Cake for breakfast?' Caleb asked Gail in disbelief, as he sat down at the kitchen table and began opening his first present.

'Only if I can have some' she said sarcastically and went to Luke when she heard him crying, in an attempt to remind them of his presence.

Caleb could not believe his family had managed to fool him into thinking they had forgotten his birthday, then smiled at the large book about fishing that Lucas had gotten him.

'To help you identify what you catch' he smiled and patted him affectionately on the shoulder.

'I thought y'all forgot' Caleb stated, as he smiled at his family.

'Blame your sister for that cruel joke' Gail advised, when she re-entered the room holding Luke.

Caleb glanced at Merlyn, who pulled her tongue at him playfully and then started cutting his cake. 'What's the plan for today? he asked curiously.

'Well you have school, so we'll see what the day brings after that' Lucas winked playfully and wrapped his arm around Gail's waist, as he watched his son happily eating his cake with Merlyn.

* * *

Caleb sat in class listening to Miss Coombs drone on about the importance of covering up and drinking fluids in the heat. It was always hot in the summer months and he did not need to be told how to keep hydrated, the fact that she was not actually teaching him anything was making his school day drag out even longer.

He looked up at the clock above Miss Coombs and sighed when he saw it was only 11:30am, this was torture and he wanted to know what surprise was planned for today. Caleb had grown up with a Father who did not show much enthusiasm towards any occasion, let alone his birthday; however, he had now become accustomed to a family that actually celebrated him and knew something great would be happening.

The sound of the fire alarm jolted him out of his thoughts and he looked around the classroom at all of his shocked classmates. Miss Coombs remained calm and ushered the children out of the classroom in an orderly fashion, so they could assemble at their allocated area.

Caleb let out another sigh at the long day ahead of him, then froze at the open doors when he saw a large bouncy castle on the field behind the playground. All of his classmates turned towards him laughing, then ran over to the field excitedly and left him on his own.

'Happy Birthday Caleb' Selena smiled as she placed a gentle kiss on his check then bent down and pointed towards Lucas, who was leaning against a large tree by the playground.

Caleb gave his Teacher a hug, then rushed over to Lucas excitedly without any further hesitation.

'Why you allow that man to take credit all the credit for your arrangements I don't know' Selena let out a long sigh and stopped smiling.

'We're married...what's mine is his etc etc' Gail waved off the comment nonchalantly and came from behind the door to stand next to Selena.

'So you got me to convince the Principal to allow the whole school a day off to join in these festivities. Do you know what that's cost me?' Selena asked, wondering if Gail could truly stomach what acts she had to do to convince the Principal.

'Nothing you've not done a thousant times over' Gail laughed, unfazed by Selena having to whore herself out.

Selena regarded Gail coldly, then remembered she had opened herself up to this when she had asked for her help. 'So what now? Are we done?'

'With your deal? We haven't even started yet' Gail smiled mischievously, then strolled causally over to Caleb and Lucas.

* * *

Merlyn slowly walked around the edge of the school grounds, pushing Luke in his buggy. She found herself enjoying this alone time to think and took in a long calming breath, while she took in her surroundings.

Matt was walking around the edges of the school pushing Lucy's buggy, trying to steer clear of the commotion of excited children and nosy parents. He had not slept at all the previous night and thoughts of taking advantage of a teenager would not leave his mind; therefore, he had chosen to take this opportunity to soak up the fresh air and sun, in an attempt to clear his mind. When he saw M not far ahead of him, he stopped in his tracks and felt a wave of anger come over him.

Merlyn spotted Matt ahead of her when he froze on the spot. She had known he would be here as it was Caleb's birthday; however, she had not decided what she was going to do and she instantly became anxious. Suddenly, she felt a calm breeze blow through her hair and it forced a feeling of ease. She sensed something in the back of her mind and glanced around, then spotted Lucas nodding at her slowly from the corner of the building.

Lucas' words began to flow through her mind and she felt something strange come over her. She pushed Luke's buggy until he was facing Lucy, then took Matt by the hand and let him behind a tree.

'I don't want to do this here M, let's just have a civilised ti...' he started, then stopped when she knelt down in front of him and began unzipping his pants.

Merlyn did not know what she was doing, she did not feel like she had full control of her body; however, she did not want to stop either. Something bad had come over her and rather than fight it, she relaxed and let it take over as she took him in her mouth.

Matt let out a loud unexpected moan when he felt her lips close in around him, then bit his lips to keep his noises to a minimum with the children not being far away. He knew he should not be condoning this behaviour in a public place; however, his desire for her took over and he could not think of anything other than the pleasure she was providing him.

Merlyn smiled to herself as she continued to suck and tease him with her tongue. She felt a surge of confidence flow through her at how much he was enjoying this act and she found that she actually liked the taste of him in her mouth. She heard his breaths quicken when he was coming close to his finish, then allowed him to explode in her mouth before reaching for her handkerchief and spitting out his moisture. Before she had a chance to say anything to him, he pulled her up and kissed her passionately.

Matt savoured the taste of her tongue in his mouth, he had missed her even though it had only been two days. It took all of his strength to pull away from their embrace and he regarded her curiously. 'Why would you do that?' he asked, still reeling from the unexpected act and zipped up his pants.

Merlyn glanced around the tree to survey her surroundings, the children were peacefully happy together and Lucas was nowhere to be seen. 'I just wanted to make it up to you' she shrugged, then smiled when he put his arm around her affectionately and led her back to the children.

'We have had a lot to discuss, but lets just enjoy the festivities for now' Matt sighed and let her take Lucy's buggy while he got Luke.

-To be continued-


	6. Chapter 6

Gail sat on a swing in the playground, watching Caleb say his goodbyes to the remaining children that were hoping to have another turn on the bouncy castle. It had been hard having to be pleasant for this amount of hours to children and adults, now she felt impatient and an urge to run away from it all came over her.

'It's a good job we're bound for life love, I get the feelin' you'd be outta here the first chance you got otherwise' Lucas stated knowingly, as he came behind her and started pushing the swing gently.

'Well Nashville is amazing this time of year, I'm sure Caleb would love to spend his birthday at the Grand Ole Opry' she smiled and enjoyed the feel of the soft breeze on skin.

Lucas let out a small laugh and shook his head. 'You're always lookin' for somewhere to run, can't you just be content here? Our lives ain't that bad' he advised, then kissed her shoulder softly as he pulled the swing closer to him.

Gail felt electricity flow through her when his lips met her bare skin, then a flash back of Merlyn's grave crossed over her mind and a sharp jolt of pain brought her back to the true reality of her life. There was no fairy tale here, her whole family living or dead were damaged and she could not control the dark hatred festering inside of her. She did not know whether Lucas contributed to or hindered that part of her; however, it was surging heavily through her veins right now and being with him while he was talking this way was only reminding her of the true curse of her life.

She looked over at Billy who was sat with Abe and Poppy on a bench, finishing up the remainder of the buffet, then hopped off the swing carefully and moved away from Lucas. 'You enjoy your little slice of heaven, I have an adult dependant to take care of' she snapped irritably and walked away from him, leaving him to deal with the remaining lingering residents on his own.

* * *

Caleb sat on the edge of Johnson's Bridge with Boone, Josh and Ben Jr. He had wanted to go home with Gail to continue his birthday celebration as a family; however, she had ordered him to stay with Lucas and Ben, who had planned this quiet fishing time, to enable him to enjoy the rest of his birthday in peace. His friends where happily making conversation, betting each other who would have the biggest catch but Caleb was not interested and got up to sit with his Father.

'Everythin' alright son?' Lucas asked when Caleb sat between him and Ben, then handed him his beer and ignored the look of disapproval on Ben's face.

'I don't know, is it?' Caleb asked, as he took a sip of the beer obediently and tried to pretend that the bitter taste did not faze him.

Lucas stared at his boy curiously for a moment, then got himself another beer out of the cooler and opened it. 'It's your birthday son, everythin' is goin' exactly to plan'

'Then why ain't Gail here?' Caleb asked knowing something was wrong and stared at Lucas, unmoved by his Fathers irritated look.

'I think I'm gonna see what I can catch' Ben said excusing himself. He was Gail's friend too and knew there was something going on with her recent change of behaviour; however, he wanted no part of it.

'Your Step Mom is just fine, she's just takin' a bit of time to adjust to our new family dynamic' Lucas lied and took a large gulp of his beer.

'I know it's more than that...What happened to Christie?' Caleb asked curiously, wondering why she was never mentioned after the attack her and Billy were involved in.

'Christie is no-ones concern but mine and you ain't gonna mention that name to your Step Mom no more, you hear?' Lucas warned, suspecting Gail would have a way of finding out what they were discussing.

Caleb let out a long sigh and continued to take small sips of his beer. 'She didn't do anythin' when she saw me with Poppy, I guess that's somethin'' Caleb shrugged, then smiled when he thought of how pretty Poppy was with her wild deep red hair.

'That girl is way too old for you boy, but I can't fault your taste with that one' Lucas smiled knowingly, then patted Caleb on the back proudly and signalled for him to rejoin his friends.

* * *

Selena sat in the front of TJ's truck just outside of the junkyard, wondering what heinous act she had committed in a previous life to result in the punishment she was enduring.

After everyone had left the school and she had started to settle at home for the evening, Gail had called unexpectedly to request her assistance in line with the deal she had agreed to. Selena knew better than to refuse when her nemesis appeared to be holding up her side of the bargain and accepted the challenge willingly.

Selena had not suspected such a request from someone previously so pure and laughed to herself now, while she allowed TJ to push his hand under her dress. If this had been someone of her own choosing she would have been able to garner some enjoyment from what was about to come next; however, she did not hold out much hope for that as this one was a little too young for her liking and she had thought this kind of behaviour from herself was over when Lucas cut all ties with her.

That was not to say that Selena would not make the most of this situation, she had not been intimate with anyone since her relationship had ended with Billy and although this was not her ideal partner, she would take the intimacy whichever way it came. TJ was unsuspecting of any foul play, the young man was as simple as they came so at least he would be able to follow her instructions and she may actually manage to get some kind of release tonight.

The sound of a small scream caught her ears and she let out a loud moan, then turned the radio up. She pulled down her panties, opened her legs and signalled for TJ to pleasure her with his mouth. The boy was so inexperienced that he barely knew how to begin; however, she guided his head to the right spot and smiled when he followed her instructions obediently. She did not know what Gail was doing, but she knew she was required to distract TJ for a good long while and if she was knew how to do anything, it was how to distract a man.

* * *

Gail wandered through the Junkyard, following the screams that she knew no one else of worth could hear. Her rage had magnified after she left the school and with Lucas out of the way with Caleb, there was no-one strong enough to pull her back now that she had the evening to herself.

Her rage had been directed towards Lucas at first, there was no chance of her getting at him at least not yet; therefore, it shifted to Merlyn herself. Merlyn who had every opportunity to be honest about what had happened to her and that revelation would have changed Gail's feelings towards the man who had murdered her, especially if the information would have come before she had discovered their true past connection.

Merlyn had allowed her to blindly fall for Lucas and for most of the evening she had truly hated her; however, when she thought of the sweet girl and everything she had actually gone through, she reminded her of herself when she was younger and she knew she could never hurt her or blame her for any of this. Her rage was not simply satisfied to dissolve at the clarity she had gained over Merlyn, so it latched onto another girl who had reappeared in her life. A girl who had ignored the warnings to stay away from the little boy she had uprooted her life to protect and who had caused the problems between Matt and Merlyn.

It was obvious that she was projecting her anger, she was not stupid. After a bit of soul searching Gail found that she was actually OK with that, given that the true object of her rage was untouchable. Now she strolled casually through the Junkyard, knowing Selena would make good of her word and allowed her rage to flow freely through her while she contemplated her next move.

She heard Poppy scream again, sensing Gideon was playing with his food and smiled grimly. Her trusted companion would never allow her to perform such a questionable act, knowing she still had some morals; therefore, he had taken it upon himself to act on her feelings and she sensed he was enjoying every moment of the chase.

Gail stepped out in front of her parents old car and stared at it with wide eyes, suddenly a wave of light flowed through her and a calming feeling travelled through her body. She inhaled deeply and desperately attempting to hold onto the light, sensing she was at the point of no return if she allowed herself to continue; however, the sound of Peter Emory's laughter rang through her ears and that light disappeared as quickly as it had came, leaving only the rage to fester and build within her.

When she moved away from her parents car and came around to a dead end, she saw Poppy cowering in the corner and Gideon baring his teeth at her viciously. She still had time to turn back, tell Gideon to stand down and help this young girl make the right choices in life; however, the sound of her Fathers laughter became deafening and she lost all control of her rage, as she clasped her hands over her ears in an attempt to drown out the laughter and closed her eyes tight.

Gail remained still for a few minutes, hearing nothing but her Father in her head. The sound stopped when Gideon perched on her feet obediently and when she opened her eyes, she saw Poppy Bowen in a bloody mess dead on the ground.

Gail felt a slight feeling of remorse of remorse at what had transpired here, then that was replaced by a proud feeling of what she had accomplished and she smiled devilishly as she signalled for Gideon to follow her out of the Junkyard.

* * *

Lucas returned home with Caleb after Ben had offered to drop the other children off home. He had been experiencing a niggling discomfort for a few hours and was concerned about what he was going to walk in to; however, the house appeared quiet as it usually was and he sensed his love in the Study.

Caleb followed Lucas to the Study and smiled when he saw Gail reading a book on the couch, with Luke asleep on her lap. He had felt strange all evening and now that he had seen everything was OK, he let out a relieved breath and bent over the back of the couch to give Gail a hug.

Gail turned her head to Caleb and kissed his cheek softly. 'How was your evening? Did you catch anything?' she whispered sweetly, careful not to wake Luke.

'I caught a bass, but gave it to Ben as I know you don't like guttin' them' he smiled, then stroked his younger brothers head lovingly.

Lucas watched the display curiously, something was not right here and he could not put his finger on it. Gail appeared more relaxed than she had done in a long time and that was disconcerting. 'Where's Billy?' he asked suspiciously.

'In his room. He over exerted himself with all the festivities so I put him to bed early. Is that sufficient for you sweetheart?' she asked sweetly, then handed Luke to Caleb carefully and stood up to stretch her legs.

Lucas signalled for Caleb to take Luke upstairs to his crib, knowing both of his boys were ready for bed. 'Something's changed and I wanna know what it is' he ordered, unable to shake the feeling of discomfort.

Gail laughed and forced an innocent smile. 'All is right in the world husband, but if you really want to disturb that I'm sure I can bring up a sore subject for us to discuss' she said sarcastically.

Lucas did not like her calm manner and surveyed her cautiously. He sensed her rage was not present for the first time all week and became even more curious as to what had caused the change. 'I don't wanna fight on my boys birthday, you know that...but if you are hidin' somethin' from me, now's the time to come clean' he warned.

Gail inhaled deeply, then put her hands under her short dress and removed her panties. She threw them on the floor nonchalantly, then pushed him down on the couch and straddled him. 'The only thing I'm hiding is how much I need you inside of me Master Buck...what else do you want from me?' she asked seductively and nipped at his lips playfully as she began to unbutton his pants.

Lucas sensed something dark hidden under her calm exterior; however, his desire took over and all thoughts other than being inside of her disappeared. Lucas let out a long sigh then gripped her behind tightly, stood up and walked out of the Study towards the part of his house where the children were banned from entering.

If she was playing him then there would be hell to pay; however, right now he was ready for his fun, after the success of his eldest sons birthday celebration.

-The End-


End file.
